Jackson State University

Did Someone Mention Food?

The campus dining hall is filled with all sorts of delicious foods and you can eat as much as you want. And off campus? Pizza places and fast food restaurants, and no one to stop you from eating there. So it's no surprise that many students find eating right and staying fit a challenge at school. (Chylinski 2009) College students are faced with more than just academic challenges as they matriculate throughout. Even though the practice may be tough, students have to make it their business to live a healthy lifestyle as they grow into young thriving adults. With parents not being present to spoon feed their children, students now have to take on the grown up roll so that they can continue to be healthy.

Eating healthy is an ongoing battle that people like you and I may face from day to day. Maybe I will eat a salad today, maybe I'll just eat a small cheeseburger instead of adding bacon? Maybe I will eat in the cafe or maybe I will go off campus to eat today? These are the questions that may haunt someone as they make their meal selection every day. The bigger issue may actually be who and what is there to help guide you to your answer and what if your decisions are not always the best, who or what signs are there to let you know that you may need to check and pay attention to your options a little bit more?

Besides playing the choice game, students also face the ongoing rumors on the infamous "freshman fifteen." The freshman fifteen is a stereotype meaning that as high school students enter into their first year of college, they gain at least fifteen more pounds to their weight because they are no longer restricted to what they can and cannot eat. This also goes by saying, you will gain weight in college and this weight can be not always gained in the right places. Weight gain in college students is an increasing concern because health problems associated with obesity are numerous. (Nicoteri 2014)
 

Is Eating Healthy A Problem?

After reading several Ebsco Host journals, I found that not all students are just sitting back and not letting their voices be heard as to what they want or should do to remain healthy while in college. Several college students are open to participate in campus research about healthy eating seeing that everyone does not even get the adequate amount of meals a day while in college. The majority of students do not consume three meals a day. (Mead 2009) With that being said, if students are not getting at least three meals a day, how does one feel toward a student who may just be eating once a day? Someone reading this review should most definitely see a problem with this scenario.

What is still impressive is the fact that students are not afraid to express their wants and needs when it comes down to what they are eating while being in college. What the students want a suggest goes much further than just want they want to eat. It suggests that students want speed, convenience, and a variety of quality choices. (Hume et al. 2002) Although college courses day by day may be long, lunch however is not so the want for food choices on campus to be more convenient is not a shocking surprise. If research like this never happen, who knows how long it would actually take for students to be served in a timely manner, especially knowing that there doesn't have to be a rush when you're being served. But it doesn't stop there. Another research suggests that colleges need to extend hours of operation, employ a debit card system, offer kosher/halal food, and establish a review committee to oversee services and make periodic recommendations to the university. (Andaleeb 2007) Now students are looking at the more convenient way of purchasing their food as well. Students obviously feel that taking the time out to get cash out of their purses and pockets can slow down their process to eating lunch in a timely manner, so they suggest being able to use their debit cards when they please, to purchase foods. With this system out in place by a review committee to the university, and this system is put in place, students will feel like their voices were actually heard when it at least comes down to what they eat and how long it takes them. Knowing that students actually care about what they eat shows a step there that they would actually eat healthier if their options were more for them as a whole.

Let's Race To A Solution

Now that we know the problem let's finish this race with solutions! Two important aspects of a healthy diet are the number of calories and the amount consumed. (USDA 2005) College students have to take control of their weight and the type and the amount of food they consume. Loving your body and living a healthy but safe lifestyle could make one’s college experience much better and much happier. Taking the necessary steps to doing this also has to be within oneself. A healthy lifestyle can start small. It can start with 10 minutes a day of physical activity. You should not start with a diet and exercise plan that is such a dramatic shift from your current lifestyle that it can’t be maintained long term. (Maxwell 2012) Being healthy can make a happier you. Don't you want to finish the race to a healthy finish line? You Should!